content strategy: what’s in it for you?

Content is the reason why people use the web. Content strategy involves planning for the creation, aggregation, delivery, and governance of useful, usable, and appropriate content in an experience.
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Design is able to be written to exact specs, anticipate user-generated content structures (comments, reviews); the designer anticipates content types, creates richer layouts. Content design and visual design should share a message architecture.

IA and project managers

no future planning is possible without knowledge of what you currently have / need

quantity/quality content audit:

parity in content length/consistency in content structure,

evaluate quality–current, appropriate, relevant

quality evaluations are made against the content strategy to inform a more thorough / comprehensive sitemap, useful wireframes; clarifies the gap analysis

content strategy should be part of the proposal process (e.g., IA choices for labels can be informed by the message architecture / prioritizations)

sell client on not wasting money

Writers

Content strategy is different from copywriting. Writing is just one tactical part of content strategy that doesn’t address “what are you trying to communicate?” Internal writers (by definition) often lack an external perspective needed to merge strategies with the entire package.

SEO/Ads

A shared message architecture can be mapped against ad/meta copy so that ad copy melds with content redesigns. You can extend where the user experience begins by making tone match “early seeds” inside search results.

Social Media

Successful social media experiences must transition past “client talking about themselves” to “informing the conversation”. That’s hoping that organizations get that Twitter cannot be a one-way conversation/push.

“Most organizations are determined to talk about themselves instead of interacting with audiences or creating two-way content (What do you want from us today?).” ~ Jeff Cutler

Prioritization of communication goals helps to ensure consistency.

Editorial style guides, editorial calendars help writers to have a consistent/coordinated multi-channel presence that uses a workflow to plan, create, and expire content types/tones/foci.